Deschutes County put some ballots in Benton County envelope; Crook County left out 2 pro-move Idaho border arguments

(Update: Adding video; Greater Idaho Movement's calls for added Crook Co. mailer with missing arguments)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Deschutes County Clerk’s Office said Friday it has learned that a small number of ballot packets for the May 21 Primary Election were inserted into the wrong outgoing mailing envelope.

The outgoing envelope lists a Benton County return address instead of the correct Deschutes County address. The office has received calls from a handful of voters regarding this error.

The contents of the ballot packet and all voter information are correct, officials said. Voters have received the correct ballot and signature return envelope for the May 21 Primary Election. Voters can vote their ballot and return it with the included Deschutes County signature return envelope.

The error was made during assembly of the ballot packets by a vendor that prepares ballots for mailing for both Deschutes County and Benton County.

Deschutes County Clerk’s Office apologizes for any confusion this error may cause for voters. Voters who have questions can call Deschutes County Elections at (541) 388-6547 or email elections@deschutescounty.gov.

Meanwhile, Crook County Clerk Cheryl Seely said Thursday that she inadvertently omitted two measure arguments for Measure 7-86, the Advisory Question Regarding Citizen Sentiment for Oregon - Idaho Border Relocation.

A complete list of all the measure's arguments is posted on the county elections website . Anyone with questions can contact the clerk's office at 541-447-6553.

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News release from the Greater Idaho Movement:

Greater Idaho Calls for Action after Crook County Omits Pro-Greater
Idaho Arguments from Voter's Guide

Prineville - Last week, voters in Crook County began receiving their
printed Voter's Guide for the upcoming election in the mail. Missing
from those guides were two pro-Greater Idaho arguments. The county has
admitted that the submissions were made on time and that the error in
printing was entirely the county's fault.

The Greater Idaho movement has asked the county to issue a supplemental
page to the guide. Leaders of the movement asked that the mailer be
sent before ballots begin going out to voters, just as the voter's guide
did. In a meeting held last week, the county declined to issue that
supplemental, with Commissioners Brian Barney and Susan Hermreck arguing
against the action. Commissioner Seth Crawford voiced his support for
sending the mailer, citing fairness and transparency as his key points.
The board's discussion and proposed remedy can be found at their YouTube
page, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV5jEVjtuZ0 . Crook County's press
release regarding the error can be found at the link
https://greateridaho.org/view/61 .

"Through no fault of our own, our organization and it's supporters have
had their political voice minimized and harmed," said Matt McCaw,
Executive Director of the Greater Idaho movement. "While we understand
that mistakes happen, the county has a duty to treat everybody fairly,
and where their errors have caused that to not happen, they should
remedy the situation in a way that's acceptable to those who've been
harmed. This is a very important vote happening in Crook County, and
mistakes made by the county can not be allowed to impact the results.
We continue to call on Crook County to mail a supplemental to voters so
that our supporters get the same reach and voice that our opposition was
given."

Crook County is voting this election on measure 7-86, which is an
advisory question that asks voters if they want elected leaders to
pursue joining the state of Idaho. Crook is the 13th eastern Oregon
county to vote on the idea. Twelve other eastern Oregon Counties have
already passed Greater Idaho measures.

The arguments that were omitted are below and can also be found at this
link https://greateridaho.org/view/60 .

There is a way to get better governance for central and eastern Oregon.
The current location of the Oregon/Idaho border was decided 165 years
ago and is now outdated because it doesn’t match the location of the
dividing line between the counties that prefer Idaho’s style of
governance and counties that prefer Oregon’s style of governance.
However, state borders can be moved. It happened in 1958, when the
Oregon/ Washington border was moved slightly, and it could happen again
if we vote yes on this measure to send a message to the state
legislatures of Oregon and Idaho that Crook County wants to be included
in any plans to make counties a part of Idaho.
As part of Idaho, our representatives would be a part of the ruling
party. 80% of the Idaho legislature is Republican. That hasn’t changed
in decades because the people moving into the state are about as
conservative as the people who are already there, and are about as
conservative as the people of Crook County. The Idaho legislature is
controlled by representatives from rural districts, who govern according
to the concerns and priorities of rural counties.
Idaho laws and budgets are suited to rural economies and industries and
Idaho approves projects that are good for the economy and good for the
environment. Oregon politicians don’t understand how we make a living.
Their decisions damage industries like timber, mining, trucking,
ranching and farming. They want to remake the Oregon we’ve known our
whole lives. We want to preserve the values and way of life of old
Oregon as a part of Idaho.
This May, the people of Crook County get the opportunity to send a loud
and clear message to their elected leaders about who they trust more to
preserve their heritage and protect their communities moving forward.
Please join us in voting yes on Greater Idaho, and securing a better
future for our county.

Mike McCarter
President of Move Oregon’s Border

The right to choose our own government is a foundational principle of
the United States. It’s why we hold votes for government office,
redistrict every ten years, and have an initiative system that allows
voters to refer issues directly to the ballot. The goal of all of these
systems is to get government that people actually want and that matches
their values. Unfortunately for those of us who make Crook County home,
these systems have failed to deliver on those goals at the state level.
For decades, we in rural Oregon have been getting state government that
we don't want and that we didn't vote for. This isn't an issue of apathy
or lack of voter turnout, but rather math. The heavily populated
Willamette Valley, and especially the Portland Metro area, has the
numbers on their side, along with a radically different culture than
those of us east of the Cascades. Because of those two factors,
east-side Oregonians have little voice in their own state government,
even less political power, and get a steady barrage of policies forced
on us that we don’t want, and don’t reflect our community or values.
Our vote this May is a chance for the people of Crook County to have a
say in which state governs us. For once, we are being asked what WE
want for our communities, not having policies forced on us by people
with worldviews different than ours. Rural Oregonians have been
political minorities in our own state for long enough. I urge everyone
to send a message to Salem, as well as our elected leaders across
eastern Oregon, that we are ready for a change in state governance.
Make your voice heard, and please join me in voting yes on Greater
Idaho.

Matt McCaw
Powell Butte

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